I Wanted To Show Them Whether I Alone Lose My Patience Or The 11 Australians Lose Theirs: Sachin Tendulkar Reminisced About 214-Run Knock
Sep 19, 2020 at 6:26 PM
Sachin Tendulkar, former Indian batting mainstay, has recalled his unbeaten 241 at Sydney in 2004 ground during the conversation with the renowned cricket commentator Aakash Chopra. He revealed why he didn’t play a cover drive shot during that whole innings.
Sachin Tendulkar said that before the Sydney Test against Australia, he was scoring runs but had failed to convert them into big numbers. So, he discussed with his brother who highlighted that the master blaster didn’t have a technical flow but his shot selection was wrong.
“So I remember even now that I had a discussion with my brother, which we do after every match or dismissal about why I got dismissed. He said that he didn’t think there was a technical flaw but there is a mental flaw of shot selections,” Sachin Tendulkar said.
Sachin Tendulkar recalled that his brother told him to analyse which particular shot was leading to his downfall and challenged him to remain unbeaten in that Test match.
“Because I was pressing the pedal too hard, it was not required to accelerate that much. He asked me to analyse which shot was dismissing me and he challenged me to remain not out in that Test match because he felt no bowler can get me out.”
I had blocked it in my mind: Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin revealed that he was not a preplanned decision to not play cover drive during that innings. He realised that Australian bowlers were trying to break his patience by deliberately bowling off-stump to push him play that shot. So, he also took the challenge to beat them by not getting carried away with their plan. Sachin decided to leave the ball.
“And it was not a plan not to play the cover drive. But just when I went and stood at the ground and saw that Australians are trying to play with my patience by bowling all deliveries outside the off-stump, then something triggered in me and I wanted to show them whether I alone lose my patience or the 11 Australians lose theirs.”
“And then I started leaving everything even if I was batting on 150 as I was not going to play what they wanted me to play, at least in that match.”
I was tempted sometimes to play that shot but once I had blocked it in my mind, there was no question of me playing that,” Sachin Tendulkar concluded.
In that match, Sachin Tendulkar was involved in a 353-run partnership with VVS Laxman for the 4th wicket as India declared their first innings at a mammoth score of 705 runs for the loss of seven wickets.